


Left in Pieces

by pchberrytea



Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Casual Sex, F/M, Idiots in Love, Oblivious Pining, One of them may be a bigger idiot than the other, Porn with Feelings, Shower Sex, Teasing, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, We're all fine, it's complicated - Freeform, it's fine, oblivious lots of things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:35:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29406327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pchberrytea/pseuds/pchberrytea
Summary: Mason doesn't stay.He likes the way that the detective looks at him, he likes the way he makes her feel.But he doesn't stay. It's not supposed to get complicated like that, and yet...*Uh, I don't think I threw any spoilers in here but I'm definitely leaning into b3 demo-style angst.
Relationships: Female Detective/Mason (The Wayhaven Chronicles)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 32





	Left in Pieces

The best way to get to know a person is to get them naked. 

You find out what makes their breath hitch, feel what things make their heart race. You learn how to read their body in ways that nobody else knows, learn them in ways that are far more intimate than any normal conversation. 

It might _sound_ romantic, but that’s only if you let it get complicated. Mason had no interest in complicated. What he _did_ have interest in was the detective, which sure as hell wasn’t something he ever would have guessed just looking at her, but first impressions weren’t everything. 

Especially not hers. 

Sure, she had always been attractive. That wasn’t the sort of thing he typically ignored – even if she was some doe-eyed, floral-and-lace wearing softie that also happened to be a magnet for trouble. That stuff was all before he finally managed to get her alone, though. 

Get her _naked_.

That’s when he really started to figure her out. 

It turned out that Joanna wasn’t so bad. He liked the way that those doe eyes of hers had started to glint with mischief any time she threw a look in his direction, and he also liked finding out that cardigans and sundresses weren’t the only flowery, lacy things she liked to wear. Oh, and better than that? He was _definitely_ pleased to find out that semi-public midnight flings were one of the types of trouble she liked to get into. 

The part about being a softie was still true... when she wasn’t launching herself into the mud to tackle trappers while they were out on patrol, at least. 

A smug, lopsided smirk began to pull up the corners of his mouth as he watched her from across the parking lot, racing toward her apartment building to escape the rain. He had just waved her goodnight, but _goddamn_ – the way the muddy fabric of her dress clung tight to the curve of her body was a sight he wanted to commit to memory. 

That smirk of his broke into a full grin and he took off after her, any intention of going straight home now left where he’d stood at the dark edges of the parking lot. Not like he had anything to do at the warehouse, anyway. 

Or any _one_.

There was a surprised skip in Jo’s heartbeat when he caught up to her that left him feeling smug, though judging from the way her own lips curved up she was feeling pretty pleased, too. He kept close while the two of them walked along the hallways in easy silence. 

Eventually she found some words, but not until she’d already gotten the door to her apartment open. 

“I didn’t think you wanted to stay,” she said, leaning in the door frame to take off her mud-caked flats. “You already got me here in one piece, didn’t you?” 

“Didn’t say I was staying,” he mumbled reflexively, almost defensively – he hadn’t stayed that other time, and it hadn’t seemed to bother her. 

Still, his statement might have seemed a bit contrary given that he’d just kicked off his own dirty boots to leave there in the entrance with her own. Jo glanced from them and back up to him, one pretty little brow arched in wordless question, and Mason? He had the perfect response. 

He leaned over her to shut the front door tight, blocking her in. Their bodies barely a hair’s breadth apart, he dipped his head low to press his lips to her ear – another lazy smirk pulling at those lips as Jo’s whole body seemed to shiver in anticipation. “Didn’t say I was going to leave you here in one piece, either,” he purred. 

Her breath hitched. 

Her pulse skyrocketed. 

For a small moment, he reveled in the heat that seemed to spark in between them, letting it drive away the chill left over from the icy rain. 

The wide, wolfish grin now spread across his face from her reaction faltered as a fleeting thought tugged from somewhere deep within. She hadn’t _asked_ him to stay when she’d kissed him outside, so what if she didn’t want him here? 

That weird little thought dissipated as soon as she leaned her head to the side, baring her throat in invitation. He was more than happy to brush a long lock of hair back over her shoulder and run his lips over that tempting bit of her flesh, leaving whispers of warm breath in their wake. 

One of his hands circled her waist to find the small of her back, and he pulled her almost flush against him. 

“Mason...” she groaned in weak protest, turning her head so that her mouth could find his own. She gave a single kiss – slow and deliberate and _teasing_ with the way she sucked on his bottom lip, leaving him to want for more. Before he had a chance to catch her in another, she sighed and pulled away. “We’re a mess.” 

“Could make you more of one,” he said as he reached to cup her chin in his hand, running his thumb just over the corner of her mouth. “If you want.” 

_Whatever she wanted,_ so long as she asked. _  
_

“You already are.”

Maybe it was the small knot in her brow or maybe it was how she glanced away when she said it, but that little comment of hers almost seemed like it was coming from somewhere else. The next few seconds dragged on for an eternity while Mason’s breath caught in his throat. _Shit_ , what if she really _didn’t_ want him here? 

Before he had time to put too much thought into it, he was once again soothed by the brush of her fingertips under the edge of his shirt, along the stretch of skin just above where his pants hung around his waist. She slid a finger under that band of fabric to drag along and tease – a move that made him begin to ache. 

“You could always help me clean up, though.” 

He could work with that. 

In a swift jerk of motion he had her thrown over his shoulder to haul off to the bathroom, chuckling at her surprised yelp. Joanna liked the casual manhandling, though. He’d found that out before. The look on her face when he placed her oh-so-gently down next to the shower was proof enough of that. It was soft, way too soft – just like the kiss he pressed to her lips while they waited for the water to warm was too soft. 

Just like the skin under his hands was too soft as he moved them along her thighs, up under her skirt. Just like the moan of his name against his lips was too goddamn _soft_ when he reached between her legs, moving his fingers in an agonizingly slow caress to tease what was to come. 

Hearing his name like that left him in agony, fuck if he knew why, and he growled in response to it – almost as if to chase the danger of soft things away. He was very tempted to push her back up against the wall and tear into her in some act of rebellion, but no. 

He had her alone again, he had her nearly naked, but this time he had more time on his hands. 

He was going to draw this out and make good on that threat to leave her in pieces. 

The problem was staying in one piece, himself. 

It was already hard to ignore the hands that had roamed up under his shirt, leaving a trail of fire in their wake when they scratched a gentle trail down his chest. It was also _damn_ hard to ignore when Jo moved them even further down than _that_ , where she could rub over the hard outline of his cock strained against the fabric of his jeans. 

“Off,” she panted out, unable to manage much more than a weak tug at his belt loops. “Please.” 

He let out a chuckle and shook his head “no”, not meaning for the tips of their noses to rub together when he did so. It was hard, very hard, to resist her this way – staring up at him half-lidded, lips kiss-swollen and parted... 

“Please.” 

And responsive. 

“ _Please_ , sunshine.” 

So _damn_ slick and responsive when he slid a finger inside of her and stroked. She let out a defeated whine and clung to him tight – a pretty little mess just about ready to come undone in his arms. 

A dangerously genuine smile played on his lips when he thought about the way he seemed to make her feel. The way he _wanted_ to make her feel – to make the world fade away around them when he did eventually give in. 

Just as her breathing began to pick up and she seemed near to the edge, he withdrew his hand. Instead, he put it to use reaching up to undo the back of her dress, the clasps of her bra, before pulling away long enough to peel his own shirt off. He let the muddy cloth fall to the floor in a wet plop and reached to undo his jeans, pleased with the way that her hazel eyes had darkened, leaving golden flecks to dance alight at the sight of him. 

“I thought you wanted to clean up first,” he teased as he stepped closer – if only to pin her arms up and get that damn dress up over her head. 

“Yeah, but...” 

“But what?” 

Her gaze dropped to his lips, and he couldn’t help but give in to her. Just a taste. 

He let her have the kiss she so clearly wanted because he wanted it, too. He let her hands roam up his chest and around his neck in attempt to lure him in. He let her fingers tangle in his hair and relished the taste of her tongue when those kisses went deeper, even pulling her body tight against his own and swallowing a moan before he had to take a breath, already in danger of letting himself get lost in her. 

It would have been easy to. He wanted to. The only thing left between the two of them was some flimsy patch of lacy fabric that was already soaked through, and even then all he’d have to do is push it to one side and they could both have exactly what they wanted. 

That’s why he’d run after her, wasn’t it? Why he’d _stayed_. 

“But I want _you_.” 

The words came out in almost a plea, basically a confirmation of his thoughts, except - 

Well. Except that when he tipped her head up to look at him, there had been something intense in her gaze that captured him. Not only _want_ , but something unspoken that flickered in her eyes. Something that looked like it might cut her deep. He wondered if she’d even been in one piece to begin with, and _fuck_. 

Whatever that was, he wanted to shatter with her. 

“You sure?” he murmured, not certain if the question was more for her, or for him. She nodded, still not taking her eyes off of his, and something about it left a shiver to trail down his spine. 

Mason nudged Joanna’s head to one side, where he could trace soft licks and tamed nips upwards along her neck. He stopped just below her jawline, stealing a small moment to savor her scent and the beat of her pulse under his oversensitive lips. 

“ _Off_.” 

The order came out in a quiet growl as he pressed a final kiss to her ear, one finger dragging under the band of her lacy underwear to emphasize his point the same way she’d done to him. 

As soon as that last piece of fabric hit the ground, he was on her. Or, maybe she was the one that was on him – he wasn’t too sure. He also wasn’t too sure how the two of them had gone from standing out there to standing beneath the warm stream of water in the shower. The one thing he was sure about, though? Now that they were both naked? 

This was the Jo that he knew. 

He knew the way she liked to bite, underneath all of the lace and the soft things. He knew the way she would purr teasing things in his ear to get under his skin in the best of ways – at least until he would bite back and she’d give in. He knew the way she would look up at him underneath those long lashes of hers, biting her lip in anticipation. 

It wasn’t enough. 

He knew all of the curves of her body as he pushed her up against the wall, breathless and clinging to him in need. He knew the way her legs would curl around his waist and the way she would grind her hips into his, desperate to get a little bit of friction. 

It still wasn’t enough. 

He caught one last glimpse of that flicker in her eyes before he laced his fingers in her hair and kissed her deep, her back arching to close whatever gap might have been left between them. He slid inside of her slowly, let her have what she _wanted_ , each of them moaning into the others mouth by the time he was buried deep. 

Lost in her, a little more with every thrust. 

If she hadn’t felt lost like that those other times, he would make sure she did by the time he was done with her. He’d leave her in pieces and pick her back up, and hope that she’d want him to shatter her again. 

And he did shatter her again, not that he was counting. About five seconds after they got out of that shower he was coaxing moans from her again in the bedroom, chasing after her release like some sort of drug. 

It surprised him how content he was to lay there afterward, their legs still tangled and her head curled against his chest. At the time, he chalked it up to the late hour and all of the physical exertion – plus the fact that it was freezing outside of the covers. Otherwise, he would have left not long after they were done, same way he always did. 

His reasons might not have totally added up, but it felt... good. Jo’s skin was soft and warm against his own, her comforting scent lingered all around the room. The pitter-patter of raindrops against the windowpanes even drowned out the occasional sounds of other people moving around in the other apartments. 

Well. Maybe it wasn’t the rain. 

His eyes had _just_ fluttered shut, only to appreciate the peace he felt for a few seconds before he figured he should get the hell out of there. Or, that was the plan. Those few seconds turned to minutes or longer, lulled to sleep by the steady heartbeat of the woman lying in his arms. 

He had no idea how much time had passed when the whimper of his own name roused him from his rest. 

It took him a second to shake it off, still a little dazed since he’d never intended to fall asleep in the first place. His first instinct was that something had _happened_ since trouble always seemed to come crashing through her door but she was still there wrapped in his arms – her steady heartbeat now pounding in his ears like a jackhammer. 

He pursed his lips in confusion and lifted himself to one arm to study her once-peaceful face. Everything about her was pulled tight as though she were in _pain_ – obviously some sort of nightmare. He knew she had those, or lied about having them, anyway. He opened his mouth to say something, but his heart ended up caught in his throat. What the hell kind of nightmares was she having that involved _him_? 

“Hey,” he started, not entirely sure what the hell he was doing. He hesitated, just for a second, before he reached to brush a long lock of hair over her shoulder. “Hey,” he murmured again, this time as he trailed a few gentle kisses along her shoulder blade. “Everything’s fine, sweetheart.” 

She gave a sigh, the worried lines in her expression smoothed away. He almost slumped back into the bed in relief. 

That would have been dangerous, though, if he got caught off guard and fell asleep again. Instead, he eased himself out of bed, careful not to disturb the peace he’d actually managed to restore. It was long past time for him to leave, anyway, because that’s what he did. What he always did. 

It wasn’t supposed to be complicated. 

Still, he couldn’t say that he was looking forward to pulling on damp clothes and muddy boots just to rush home in the cold night air. 

He had just gotten all of his crap together and cracked the front door open to leave, thoroughly resigned to his chilly fate, when he heard the soft click of a different door opening back up behind him. 

“Hey...Mason?” 

A small bubble of regret formed in his stomach when he turned to see her standing there in a sheer robe, the soft curves of her body backlit by warm lamplight that spilled from her bedroom. Another sight for him to commit to memory, but this was different. Softer. 

Shit. 

“Yeah?” 

A strange tension began to buzz in the air while she picked her way through the living room and he wondered briefly if she could feel those sparks, too. He had to swallow when she finally drew near – enough to where he was enveloped in her scent, again. Where all he could hear was her heart beating, again. 

_Shit_. 

“Look, I know this is going to sound stupid,” her gaze dropped to her feet, apparently not wanting to look at him, though he could swear there was a shine there in her eyes. “Can you do something for me, though?” 

His chest tightened when she reached for his hand, electricity coursed through his veins. He wasn’t sure why this had him so shaken up. 

“Anything you need, sweetheart.” 

It shouldn’t have surprised him, how much he actually meant those words in that moment. He’d do anything she wanted, even stay. Maybe he should have stayed in the first place. 

“Just...” she said with a squeeze of his hand. “Text me when you get home?” 

**_Shit_ **. 

Was that what her nightmare had been about? 

The realization that she was worrying about him hit him like a damn truck, and at the worst possible time. He really should have stayed in the first place, but then... 

She didn’t ask him to. 

So instead, he tilted her chin up to get one last look in her eyes, where he could still see that unspoken thing that was already cutting her deep. He played it off the best he could, running his thumb over her bottom lip just to feel it. “Is that all you want?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Alright.” 

Before he left, she pulled him into one last kiss. One that was drawn out and slow, that left him almost breathless. One that was soft – too goddamn _soft_ – before she pulled away with a shaky exhale and told him goodnight. 

He didn’t look back after the front door closed, not until he’d raced all the way to the warehouse gate and he leaned there for a moment to shove a cigarette between his lips, thoughts of what had just happened still swirling through his head. He pulled his phone from his pocket, and did as she asked - 

_Home._

He waited there with bated breath, not even sure if she would respond. Just as he decided to head on inside his phone buzzed in his hand. 

_Thanks_ ♥ 

He looked back over his shoulder in the direction of Jo’s apartment. Maybe he hadn't left her in one piece after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. I'm new here. Don't eat me.
> 
> Anyway, anybody else here ready to get their feelings hurt when book three comes out? Because I am LIVING for it. Rip my heart out, plz.


End file.
